


setting this world ablaze

by khrysallis



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Action, Angst, M/M, Street Racing, Thriller
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-22
Updated: 2015-04-22
Packaged: 2018-03-25 05:06:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,591
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3797848
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/khrysallis/pseuds/khrysallis
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Medical student by day, illegal racer by night – Kris has always managed to keep his double life as separate entities. But when a new exchange student by the name of Luhan appears, he soon finds his two worlds threatening to crash and burn.</p>
            </blockquote>





	setting this world ablaze

It was a hot, hot night in Seoul.  
  
Even with the air conditioning on full blast, Kris could feel a thin film of sweat forming between his palm and the internal lining of his fingerless leather gloves, and he gripped the gear stick a little harder, trying his level best to ignore the uncomfortable sensation. Around him, the other drivers were revving their engines, bringing up the mood of the crowd which had gathered to watch them.  
  
Kris snickered to himself. For a race which was supposed to be illegal, they sure were causing quite a scene. Then again, he wasn't surprised if the leader of his crew had paid the Seoul police off to keep them away for the night – and many other nights which preceded this, for that matter.  
  
"Okay boys!" Jessica Jung, the prettiest face amongst the crowd of street rats and curious onlookers, boomed into the loudspeaker, catching everyone's attentions. Kris glanced at her appreciatively – she was dressed in a red hot short bustier dress and thigh-high boots that night, showing off her curves in all the right places. She also knew that Kris was checking her out from behind the tinted windows of his GranTurismo, and she bent forward on purpose, giving him a wink and a clear view down the front of her dress. "You know the rules. No starting until I flag you off."  
  
As if responding to her, the other drivers revved their engines again, and Kris good-naturedly played along. It was a common scene, these illegal races, and Kris probably wouldn't have found his way here if he hadn't met the heir of one of the largest conglomerates in South Korea through the most bizarre of circumstances.  
  
His earpiece crackled just then. "Stay focused now, Kris. We know you got this."  
  
It was Junmyeon, his boss, though the man would probably sock Kris in the gut if he ever said it out loud. Junmyeon loved to maintain that they were friends, not business partners, but Kris liked to live in reality. It was clear to everyone outside their crew that Kris was worlds apart from the rest of his crew, being the only one who was dressed in worn out clothes instead of designer brands. Kris knew that much. He was only thankful that his crew didn't look down on his social status – or the lack thereof.  
  
"Sure, _Suho_." Kris smirked to himself, grip a little firmer on the gear stick when Jessica raised her arm, the flag flapping in the humid summer air. Junmyeon made a weird noise at the nickname; it was a cross between being embarrassed and amused, a name his crew came up with because Junmyeon was not the type of person you'd expect to own an illegal street racing crew, yet he wouldn't ever hesitate to protect his friends if they ever got into trouble.  
  
Jessica's smile was wide, her eyes bright as she glanced at Kris again. It was obvious she had placed a bet on him to win the race tonight – she always did. "On the count of three!" She said again, and Kris began to tune out the rest of the world around him. There was nothing else but the finishing line to think about.  
  
"Three!" Kris gripped his gear stick a little tighter.  
  
"Two!" The muscles in his right leg pulled taut, placing slight pressure on the accelerator. Kris narrowed his eyes.  
  
"One!" Jessica raised her voice further, and Kris blocked out the rest of the commotion, hearing only his thoughts and imagining the way Junmyeon and the rest of his crew were holding their breaths in unison on the other side of the line. Getting off to the perfect start was the most crucial part of the race, and even the slightest slip up could prove costly.  
  
The very moment Jessica flagged them off, Kris slammed on the accelerator, feeling his insides lurch forward from the inertia before settling down as his car picked up in speed. Around him, the cacophony of noises managed to seep into the confined spaces of his car again, a strangely calming mix of tyres screeching against asphalt, wolf whistles, and wild cheers. It was probably jarring to the ears of others, but to Kris, this was part of what he lived for.  
  
He jammed his gearshift up a level when the path ahead was all clear for him to advance, pushing on the accelerator just a little more to propel him past the orange Cayenne. A smirk pulled at the corner of Kris's mouth when he successfully overtook the car; he could almost hear CNU hurling insult after insult at him. But tonight, they were driving on Kris's favourite course – and he wasn't going to let his dominance slip away. It was also the very reason why Junmyeon chose him to spearhead this race on behalf of their crew.  
  
Junmyeon was as thirsty as Kris was for the win, he was sure. Racking up wins boosted the name of their crew in the underground circuit, after all.  
  
His tyres made a very satisfying screech when he took a corner, feeling the tail end of his car swerving sharply to the right for a brief moment before regaining its bearings. At this point of time, Kris was filled with enough adrenaline running through his veins, gaining a lot more courage to pull off insane stunts than he normally would have done. Kris drifted from side to side to block off the rest of the competition tailing behind him, all while trying to think of ways to catch up to the race leader.  
  
Kim Heechul and his fiery red Ferrari had always posed a massive threat to Kris's wins, and these losses were costly. Everyone who was in the loop knew that Heechul would only take part in the matches with the highest returns, and he was by no means lousy behind the wheel.  
  
"Coming through!" Kai's voice chirruped in Kris's earpiece, surprising him slightly. He had forgotten that Kai was racing in his black Bugatti Veyron that night – the younger boy had always preferred racing on bikes, but that didn't mean he wasn't good with cars at all. On the contrary, the boy was far more reckless in a car than he was on his favourite racing bike – something about it being safer when he was surrounded by metal instead of the other way round.  
  
Kris could only laugh to himself in amusement when Kai swerved dangerously close to the Cayenne he'd overtaken earlier. CNU had probably freaked out at Kai's stunt, because Kris could see the way he lost control of his Cayenne and slammed right into the divider on the passenger side of the car, kicking up a storm of sand and smoke.  
  
"He's going to _kill_ you for the damages, y'know," Kris laughed, dropping his gear and slamming on the brakes again when he encountered another sharp corner.  
  
He could hear Kai snorting at his comment. "You win some, you lose some. Pretty sure he's loaded enough to fork out a million Won for repairs. Most of us are – no offense."  
  
"None taken." Kris replied good-naturedly, though there was an edge of bitterness which managed to seep into his consciousness. It wasn't something new – he knew he didn't have the fate of being born into riches, but he was more than determined to change that with his own hands.  
  
So focus on the race Kris did, his hold on the gearstick as firm as ever as he stepped on the accelerator, hearing the roar of his engine as they went up the most challenging part of the race course – up the steep hill and down again.  
  
"What the fuck?!" Kai suddenly yelled, followed by an ear-splitting screech of tyres against asphalt that could only entail from an emergency braking attempt, though before Kris could even ask him what was wrong, he had his own taste of what had hit Kai.  
  
The flood of light was blinding as another car approached Kris rapidly from behind, tailgating him instead of overtaking him like Kris had expected him to. The fog lights were fucking with Kris's vision, giving him a massive headache at the same time, but Kris refused to yield, keeping a steady foot on the accelerator, even when he could hear the beginnings of his engine protesting at the steep rise of angle. He was hitting the car's top speed, yet he kept going, eager to pull himself away from whoever the fuck was trying to kiss his car's ass.  
  
Kris could also feel himself worrying; given the speed they were currently cruising at, even the slightest of touches between the bodies of their cars could send either one of them veering off the road and plunging into the deep ravine to their left. He wondered if the guy was new on the course – those who have driven here before knew better than to attempt such life-threatening stunts.  
  
They were all after the money and cheap thrills by taking part in these races, that much was true, but dying in the process wasn't exactly a part of their plans, as ironic as it may sound.  
  
Just when he bought that the guy couldn't get any crazier than he already was, Kris was proven wrong again. The driver of the other car suddenly decided that he had enough of tailgating and swerved sharply to the left, the sound of the body of his car scratching against the divider cutting through the atmosphere of what was supposed to be a relatively calm night. Kris was left in shock when he realised the guy was trying to _overtake_ him at the narrowest stretch of the road, what the actual fuck?  
  
The GranTurismo Kris was in was pushed close to the side of the hill, and sparks flew when the sharp edges of the rocks scratched against his car, taking out its paint. Kris made sure to keep his hands tightly on the steering wheel, before slamming on the brakes and pulling on the hand brake to stop his car just before the narrowest possible stretch. At the rate they were going, Kris was probably going to end up like a sardine in a squashed tin can, and that would defeat the initial purpose of him joining these races if he died.  
  
"Kris, give it up! It's not worth it; the guy's insane!" Kai spoke up again just then, and Kris gritted his teeth.  
  
"I know!" He spat out after a brief moment's silence, stepping on the brakes just a little more to stop himself from getting dragged along by the other racer's car.  
  
Thankfully, his car finally came to a jolting stop, throwing Kris forward into the steering wheel before he slammed backwards into his seat. He hoped fervently that he hadn't given himself a whiplash injury, but the ache in his neck wasn't really a good sign.  
  
Kris was also vaguely aware of how his heart felt as though it had jumped into his throat, his pulse racing a mile a minute as he watched the electric blue Sesto Elemento drive away, taking the corners cleanly, and Kris wondered what he had done to be able to survive this night.  
  
More importantly, he wanted to know the identity of the lunatic who had been behind the wheel of that Sesto Elemento.  
  


†

He was attacked by a slew of questions the moment he parked his partially-mangled car in the garage, and Kris shot an evil eye at the rest of his crew to earn himself some peace. The goosebump-inducing screech of metal against rocks was still loud in his senses, making him feel as though he was still living in that heart-stopping moment. He wasn't in the mood to deal with anything else, really.

Unfortunately for Kris, though, his friends knew him long enough to know that he wasn't going to snap at them, even when he was wearing an expression of anger.

"Why the fuck didn't you stop earlier?" was the first of such questions which had unfortunately managed to slip into Kris's consciousness, and Kris stormed right past Baekhyun, marching straight for the refrigerator instead. He really needed a drink to nurse the throbbing ache in his head.

"Yeah, I gave you ample warning, too." Kai added, and Kris could no longer hold his annoyance back.

"You'll need something more than ' _fuck_ ' to warn someone, Kai, Jesus fucking Christ!" Kris nearly snarled, slamming on the arm rest of the sofa he'd just settled upon moments earlier. If there was something Kris was glad for, it was the fact that his crew put seniority before wealth. At least he didn't really have to think twice before he spoke.

Besides, it wasn't as though they had anything to threaten Kris with if they got pissed, anyway.

When Kai was about to mouth his protest, Junmyeon stopped him with a dangerous smile which screamed 'no more if this nonsense or _else_ '. "Enough of that, guys. What's important is that he's not dead."

Kris did take the opportunity to frown at Junmyeon, who laughed in response. "Thanks for the vote of confidence, Junmyeon." He deadpanned.

Junmyeon merely raised his own bottle of beer in a mock salute. "Only for one of the best racers on my crew," he teased, but his expressions turned serious in only a matter of seconds. "Did you manage to catch a glimpse of that guy, though?"

Kris shook his head no. "Too dark. Windows were tinted, and the fucker had his fog lights on."

Minseok took the opportunity to slide into the seat next to Kris, snatching the keys to his GranTurismo in the process. Kris didn't stop him or make a move to retrieve it, knowing that his car was in good hands. Minseok had a penchant for messing with cars, and had never failed in making the most mangled of cars look brand new. He was the sole reason why Junmyeon didn't have to fork out hundreds of millions for a new car, for each time Kris very nearly destroyed one owned by Junmyeon's family whenever he got too immersed in a race.

Sometimes, Kris honestly didn't know why Junmyeon even bothered putting up with him. He was sure it wasn't only because Kris had saved his life once upon a time, but he files the question away for future use.

"There aren't many people who own a Sesto Elemento in South Korea," Minseok commented as he twirled Kris's keys around his index finger. He didn't seem concerned with the all-nighter he was going to have to pull to get Kris's GranTurismo back to mint condition. "It's not going to be difficult to find out; you just need to access our database."

"Assuming he didn't already crash himself off the cliff," Kai pointed out, and the rest of them nodded solemnly in agreement. Judging by the insane way the guy had been driving, Kris wouldn't be surprised if the news of a car wreck made headlines in the morning. Then again, people, being people, would probably mourn over the destruction of the very expensive car rather than the death of its driver.

It was just the way the world worked. Death was too common a thing for people to bring themselves to care, especially if it didn't involve someone they knew.

"By the way, Kris," Junmyeon started, smiling casually at him, "don't you have an early day tomorrow? It's already cutting close to three."

Kris's eyes widened at the reminder, and he cursed colourfully as he stumbled out of his seat, tripping over several feet in the process as he made a hasty exit. All that was left in the garage was the raucous laughter that continued late into the night – mostly at Kris's expense.

†

"Another late night?" Yixing's eyes were gleaming with amusement from behind his black-rimmed glasses when Kris took his place on the bench beside him. Out of passing interest, Kris noticed that Yixing was, again, dressed in his favourite combination of a cardigan and slacks.

"Don't ask." Kris half-groaned, taking a grateful sip of the Long Black Yixing had dutifully bought for him.

They were the most unlikely of friends, even Kris would agree, but somewhere along the way, of days filled with coffee (mostly on Yixing's treat) and random discussions about their lectures, Yixing had become quite the indispensable existence in Kris's life. For one, he didn't think he could function in the morning if Yixing wasn't there to provide him with caffeine.

In any case, at least there was some sort of normalcy for Kris to return to in the morning, after his constant late-night insanities.

At this, Yixing rested his cheek against his palm and stared at Kris in a contemplative manner. Kris tried not to squirm, even when Yixing's gaze was about to burn holes right into him. Yixing always seemed to engage in an active attempt to read Kris, and he couldn't help wondering what would happen if Yixing managed to discover his secrets.

"What _do_ you do till late into the night, anyway?" He asked, causing Kris to nearly inhale his coffee through his nose. "Your roommate complains a lot about you making a huge ruckus in the middle of the night. You know you're not exactly the most graceful of persons."

"Jongdae?" Kris wondered aloud. "Don't believe in anything that little shit says. You know how he's constantly out to get me." Now all he had to do was to cross his fingers and hope that Yixing wouldn't delve too deeply into his poor attempt at covering up.

"Out studying in the library like a completely nerdy medical student, then?" Yixing prompted again, then laughed to himself when he replayed those words in his head. "Wait, that doesn't sit well with the image I have of you."

Kris made a face. Trust Yixing to troll on him. "Well, I _have_ to do something about my grades if I still want to keep myself in med school." He said, though deep down, he could taste the irony of his own words.

His grades had been stellar once upon a time, back in the days when he hadn't gotten himself involved in these illegal late-night rallies. Then again, he'd been on the verge of quitting school and abandoning his dreams – life was difficult for a foreign student in Korea, especially one who was doing Medicine like Kris. The tuition fees alone was more than enough to kill him.

That was when Junmyeon and his offer for Kris to join his crew appeared before him. Having been desperate, he took it without any second thoughts.

Right now, Kris didn't think he could extract himself from the double life he was living in, even if he wanted to. It provided him with the cash to live comfortably, and the extra excitement he greatly needed in his life. It came with a price, though, having his academic performance compromised because he couldn't get himself to focus enough in class because of the exhaustion that followed every morning.

In that aspect, Yixing and his meticulously-written notes were godsend.

"You're doing just fine." Yixing told him. Kris merely flashed a thin smile at him, and said nothing else. Yixing also knew better than to pry, returning to his previously-abandoned reading instead.

He was in the midst of feeding more coffee into his sleep-deprived system, contemplating about his life decisions when his lecturer walked into the hall, a head of fiery red hair following after him. Kris raised a curious brow, though he remained slumped in his seat while the rest of his classmates straightened themselves in attention. He knew what they were thinking – Kris was already bold enough to dye his hair sandy brown in a sea of black-headed people, but this newcomer had just raised the bar.

"Good morning, everyone," his professor started, his voice clearly projected around the massive hall. "I know it's already late into the semester, but there's a new gentleman here to join you on credit transfer." Kris's eyebrows raised further, because this was simply unheard of, having someone transfer universities just like that. This wasn't high school.

Yixing seems to share Kris's thoughts, for he leaned in soon enough to whisper into Kris's ear. "By credit transfer, I hope he didn't mean the monetary type of credit."

Kris only rolled his eyes at Yixing, though he found his breath hitching when the new student finally stepped forward and raised his head, revealing a face that could only belong to a doll for the sheer flawlessness of it. The man's eyes were intense and playful, a stark contrast from the rest of his features, and Kris felt an odd sensation tugging at his heart when the man scanned the faces in the room before finally fixing his gaze on Kris.

Kris couldn't shake off the feeling that the new student was aiming this specifically at him when he said, "Hi, I'm Luhan, and we can probably be very good friends if you like racing too."

He quickly averted his gaze, but not before catching the way Luhan's lips curled into an unmistakable smirk at his reaction. Luhan's eyes never really left him for the rest of the day, even as he made his way to the nearest available seat in the lecture hall, and it made Kris feel as though something was crawling beneath his skin.

Kris decided he didn't like the feeling at all.

†

Kris had never thought of himself as a sociable person, much less an approachable one (he has heard of the whispers among his peers, all describing him as standoffish), so he couldn't understand why Luhan even bothered following him out right after class.

Kris pretended not to have noticed his presence, though, and kept his gaze on the path before him, walking through the hallways in long, quick strides even though he wasn't rushing for time. Sometimes his height could be such a huge advantage.

Something which left Luhan's mouth, though, was what promptly kept Kris deeply rooted on the spot. "Wu Yifan, wait." Luhan had called out in his thick Beijing accent, and Kris wondered how on earth he had found out about it. As far as Kris knew, only Yixing would call him by his birth name in this country, because it was such a mouthful for the rest of their classmates.

Luhan didn't seem the least bit breathless – or being remotely fazed by the cold gaze Kris fixed upon him – when he finally caught up to Kris. Instead, he surprised Kris again when he said, "It's rude to ignore someone when you've noticed them following after you from the very beginning, you know."

Kris didn't question how Luhan had realised; it must've shown in his actions. But Kris kept his expressions calm as he replied, "I don't believe we are formally acquainted, Luhan."

The careless shrug Luhan threw at him was grating. "I got your name from Yixing, if that's what you're wondering." Of course, who else if not Yixing? "That aside," Luhan started again, and Kris felt incredibly uncomfortable when Luhan gave him a glance-over. "You seem horribly misplaced in a class of medical students. I thought you'd be more fitted for modelling instead. Or something that gives you an adrenaline rush. Something illegal, perhaps."

"I could say the same about you," Kris narrowed his eyes. "Is there something you needed from me?"

“Well, no.” Luhan chirped, his beam growing wider by the second. “Just thought I’d say ‘hi’ to my classmate in person.”

“Hi.” Kris said curtly. Was he for real? “If there’s nothing else, I have to go.”

He didn’t bother waiting for Luhan’s reply, quickly turning on his heels to leave. The longer he stayed in Luhan’s presence, the more uncomfortable Kris became, because the way Luhan looked at him made Kris feel as though Luhan knew of his deepest, darkest secrets.

†

“Are you sure you want to do this?”

Kris paused in the middle of marvelling at his good-as-new GranTurismo and raised an eyebrow at Minseok, who was leaning against his car. At first glance, no one could guess that Minseok was actually the heir of a multinational company in South Korea, especially when he was dressed in an overall covered with blotchy areas of oil stains, though Minseok had always been the more down to earth one compared to the rest of his peers.

“Why is that even a question?” Kris forewent all forms formality and sat on the floor of the garage, leaving his long legs stretched out before him. He crossed his arms behind his head and leaned casually against his car, before smiling up at Minseok. They all knew how much he liked to race – money wasn’t even much of an issue anymore these days.

“It’s the fourth consecutive day you’re racing this week–” Minseok sighed as he sat down next to Kris. “–and that’s beyond crazy, even for the likes of you. Weren’t you just telling us how you’re having 8am classes daily for the rest of the month?”

Kris winced. Yikes, guess he’d forgotten.

“I’m holding up fine. It’s not a big deal.” Kris lied, even when he could feel the discomfort of the exhaustion that had settled in bone-deep gnawing at him.

Minseok took a short glance at him and snorted disbelievingly. “You look like you’re about to keel over and die at any given moment."

“I’m _fine_ , Minseok. You’re worrying too much. I'm still going to race, so I’ll see you around tonight, okay?” Kris let out another short laugh and leapt to his feet, dusting off the back of his jeans before climbing into his car. Minseok seemed to have a lot more to say, but decided against it in the end, opting instead to stand in the middle of the garage as he watched Kris drive out of it.

In reality, Kris knew what Minseok was worried about – and it definitely wasn’t about Kris’s attendance or academic performance. They knew how well he could juggle between both his lives. It had never been a cause for concern, and it definitely wasn’t in their capacity to be concerned, either.

Rather, Minseok was probably thinking about what could happen during the race tonight. Ever since his encounter with the lunatic in the Sesto Elemento, there had been a constant appearance of a driver who seemed as though he was trying to kill everyone with the way he drove. Despite the fact that a different car would take that role every night, Kris was more than a thousand percent sure it was the same driver. It wasn’t difficult to recognise the way the other man handled his car.

And night after night, Kris found himself dicing with Death.

He didn’t know why, but it seemed to Kris that the crazy driver only had eyes for Kris. He’d leave the other drivers relatively unscathed, but would do anything in his capacity to make sure Kris couldn't complete his races.

The most baffling part of the puzzle came with the information from Junmyeon that these cars were not registered for the races. It could only mean that the man was keeping a close watch on these illegal races and the constant change in locations, but the main question was: Why?

†

That night’s racing conditions were no different from the others. It was the height of summer, though the air was made much warmer by the heat radiating off the running engines, humid and sticky. Kris scanned the cars around him keenly, the worry never really leaving him even if all he could see were cars which have been competing consistently against him for the past year or so. Their circle was only so big.

“No sight of the dude, huh.” Baekhyun’s voice filtered into their crew’s common channel, and even though he didn’t usually show it during their discussions, Kris could hear the fretting layered thick in his words. Everyone seemed to be more on the edge these days. Everyone wanted to know who was crashing into their nightly races without a proper self-introduction.

Kris’s only response to Baekhyun was a soft grunt, before his eyes fell upon Jessica when she took her usual place on the platform. The usual flirtatious smiles were exchanged, the usual speech broadcasted through the loudspeaker, and then they were flagged off to duke it out on the empty late-night streets of Seoul once again, all eyeing the three million won prize at the finishing line.

Kris didn’t know why, but there was an odd sense of anticipation building up within him as the race progressed. Instead of keeping his mind solely on the race, he found himself watching out for the sight of an unfamiliar car on the streets. It had been clearly established by then that the unknown man was loaded, judging by his choice of very expensive cars used to crash the race, and Kris wondered what sort of car he’d be seeing that night.

Anticipation rapidly transformed into something akin to disappointment, though. While Kris had kept half of his mind on the race, snatching first place from CNU in the process, there was no sight of said lunatic driver even as they neared the finishing line.

“Come on, Kris. Keep your head in the game. The race is almost yours to take.” As though sensing Kris’s inattention, Junmyeon spoke up. It was a rare event in itself, considering the fact that he disliked breaking his drivers’ concentration.

Kris nodded firmly to himself, a silent promise to Junmyeon to win this after having his attempts foiled in the past few nights. Just as he was about to get completely serious, though, a sudden flood of lights coming from his right had him slamming on his brakes and swerving sharply in the opposite direction, the sound of his tyres sliding across asphalt piercing to no ends.

Instead of fearing that he couldn’t avoid the oncoming car in time, Kris felt an even stronger sense of exhilaration tonight, wondering how close their cars would stop right next to each other without cumulating into a catastrophic crash which neither of them would walk out alive from.

“Kris, what the fuck are you doing?!” He could hear Baekhyun yell; the latter evidently thought he had lost his mind, but Kris wanted to do something different for a change, seeking out something else to spice up his life. The stress of medical school was beginning to get to him, and these nightly illegal racing sessions were beginning to lose its lustre and its ability to de-stress Kris. Until now.

He didn’t bother obliging Baekhyun with a reply, watching Baekhyun's red California T zoom past him instead, and then Kris kept his focus on the unknown driver who’d suddenly switched off his headlights, making it difficult for Kris to gauge the distance between his car and the latter’s.

It felt like an eternity had passed them by before Kris’s car finally came to a halting stop, kicking up a storm of dust and smoke. His heart pounded loudly in his ears as he awaited for the impact to hit him.

It never came, even as the dust settled down. Kris found himself being amazed, however, when he realised that the other car had indeed stopped next to his, the side mirrors of their cars probably only a hair’s breadth away from touching.

The other driver wasn’t only insane – he was also crazily good at judging distance.

For a moment, Kris waited with bated breath as he wondered if the other man would alight from his car, or do anything at all to announce his identity. A sense of disappointment bubbled within him when he later realised it wasn’t going to happen; not tonight. The glass was too heavily tinted for Kris to see anything beyond it, except for the silhouette of the driver – this time in a silver Koenigsegg Agera R – who gave him a two-finger salute before speeding away.

That disappointment quickly melted into excitement, though, and the amused laughter started pouring out of Kris’s lips when he thought about just how interesting this entire ordeal was.

And laugh heartily he did, amidst the frantic calling of his name by his crew members.

†

Ever since Luhan had transferred into his class, Kris’s life could hardly be described as peaceful. Luhan didn’t really approach him most of the time, but Kris was made to feel extremely uncomfortable, what with the constant weight of a gaze burning into his back during his lectures. At first, Kris didn’t think too much about it, but it soon became extremely disconcerting, and every time he turned around to find out who was staring at him, he would always meet Luhan’s eyes and knowing smile. He didn’t even make the effort to conceal that he’d been watching Kris.

Kris also didn’t want to admit this, but Luhan owned a set of very beautiful eyes which always sparkled with mirth.

Today was no different from the rest. Kris could feel that tingling sensation running down his spine, something which was all too familiar by now, yet he still couldn’t see himself getting used to it. Sure, Kris was already accustomed to attracting unwanted attention from the rest of the student body because of his height, but there was something about the way Luhan stared at him which made him feel incredibly unsettled.

 _I know all of your secrets_ , they still seemed to say, and Kris honestly wished he could just brush it off as a mere figment of his imagination.

Annoyed, Kris tightened his grip on the strap of his backpack and spun around. Luhan was standing there as expected, the usual smile in place. It was infuriating.

“Could you stop following me around for just one day?” Kris snapped in Chinese, not really wanting to attract more attention to the both of them.

Luhan continued smiling unrepentantly. “My, you’re so full of yourself.” He said. “The last time I checked, this is the only hallway leading to the parking lots.”

Kris flushed bright red right up to the tips of his ears when he realised that Luhan was right. Then again, he wasn’t one to give in so easily. “Don’t play dumb, Lu. Do you think I haven’t noticed the way you’d keep looking in my direction all the time during lectures? If you have something to say to me, why don’t you spill?”

“I could be watching Yixing, for all you know.” A careless shrug, and Kris realised he had never wanted to punch someone in the face this badly before. “But you’re right–” Luhan said again, throwing Kris off. “–I do have something to say.”

“Then spit it out, stop wasting both our time.” Kris hissed through gritted teeth when he realised that Luhan was stalling.

“Impatient,” Luhan smiled, before patting Kris condescendingly on the shoulder. “Don’t get yourself killed before you even manage to save your first life, Wu Yifan.”

He was left pondering over the implications behind Luhan’s words at that, though the thought that Luhan evidently knew _something_ about his double life invariably returned to Kris. He immediately bolted after Luhan, fully determined to get to the bottom of things, but he knew he was too late when he saw Luhan getting into his slate grey Sesto Elemento and driving away.

 _There aren’t many people who own a Sesto Elemento in South Korea_ , Kris remembered how Minseok had said several days ago, and his stomach made a sickening lurch. Nevertheless, Kris shook his head to dispel himself of those thoughts. The driver who had almost killed him drove an electric blue car, not a slate grey one, though his mind actively reminded him the existence of a paint job.

Luhan couldn’t possibly be that driver Kris was looking for, he kept telling himself, yet somewhere deep down, Kris couldn’t seem to bring himself to believe in his own words.

†

It was a quiet week for their underground rallies, and Kris was about to rot from the boredom. They all had to lay low for the time being, when the police was now actively on the prowl for illegal races after the appointment of Superintendent Lee. It was a shame the previous superintendent had been sacked and put on trial for receiving bribes, but they all saw that coming. They all had to be more vigilant with their activities now, though it only added on to the excitement whenever they could slot in a race or two.

Not having illegal races to drive in meant that Kris’s evenings were suddenly freed up, though. He was itching to bring his GranTurismo out for a spin, but he had struck a deal with Junmyeon all those months ago, promising that he wouldn’t use the car if it wasn’t for racing purposes. Then again, Kris figured it was the perfect opportunity for him to finally catch up on his studies, and made the downtown public library as his latest hangout.

When Kris was about to make his way out of the university’s gates, though, the loud revving of a car’s engine brought him into perfect attention, and the familiar adrenaline high washed over him, his senses automatically recognising it to be a Ferrari’s engine.

That sense of exhilaration quickly melted into trepidation when he raised his gaze and found Baekhyun with a shit-eating grin on his face as he saluted Kris from within his California T.

Anger was the next emotion to shoot through his senses, making him close the distance between him and Baekhyun’s car in several quick strides.

“What the fuck are you doing here for?” He hissed at Baekhyun through clenched teeth, actively aware of the curious gaze of the other students who were leaving the campus. Baekhyun’s red Ferrari was practically screaming for attention – attention that Kris really didn’t want.

Baekhyun, unrepentant, only folded his arms and rested them atop his rolled-down window as he continued grinning at Kris. “Wanna go for a ride? Figured you’d be bored to death by now.”

“No,” Kris said flatly, feeling the anger threatening to spill over. He had been trying so hard to keep his other life away from his university, and he wasn’t about to let his efforts go to waste – not now, not ever. “Go play with Kai. You need to leave, _right now_.”

“Kai’s no fun.” Baekhyun whined, turning in his seat and hanging his head out the door to look at Kris upside down instead. The column of his neck was tempting Kris to make a perfect surgical incision across it. Maybe if Baekhyun bled to death, he’d get to keep the California T. “He’s busy fooling around with his boy toy Sehun, and Suho hyung’s been dragged off to boring business meetings by his parents.”

 _It’s about damned time you should do the same, too_ was what Kris was about to say, when his train of thought was interrupted by a low, appreciative whistle from behind. He spun around just to find Luhan standing there, a hand around the strap of his backpack as he admired Baekhyun’s car from afar.

“Nice ride. 0-100 kilometres per hour acceleration time of 3.6 seconds, with a top speed of 196 miles per hour. Stylish _and_ fast.” He commented, and Kris raised his eyebrows a little. He hadn’t expected Luhan to be this knowledgeable in cars; he thought the other man only drove his expensive cars _because_ he had the money to throw around.

“I’m impressed,” Baekhyun quipped. “For a pretty face, you sure know your cars.”

Kris didn’t know if he had imagined the split-second darkening of Luhan’s expressions at the way he was labelled as a ‘pretty face’, but he was sure that a chilling sensation had run down his spine at the image. He was also sure that Luhan’s smile had lost its friendly edge, his intonation a lot more frigid when he spoke next.

“Pot calling the kettle black.” He sneered. “Pretty sure I can floor you on the road and have you eat my dust.”

Kris knew that the situation was rapidly spiralling out of control when Baekhyun immediately whipped around, his expressions livid as he tried to get out of the car. Kris wasted no time at all in stopping Baekhyun, placing as much force as he could against the door so that Baekhyun couldn’t open it.

“Enough.” He said in warning, glaring down at Baekhyun. “You’re going to land Suho in trouble, and it’s going to be bad publicity for your mom’s company if you get your ass thrown into a lockup.”

Baekhyun seemed to want to protest against it, but thought that it wasn’t going to be worth his effort if he did continue on with the argument. Instead, he made a face of disgust (which, thankfully, only Kris could see) before sliding back into his seat like a docile puppy. Before he drove off though, Baekhyun took the opportunity to grace Kris with a half-hearted glare.

“I’m only letting this slide because of you–” the way he was grumbling made Kris want to pinch his cheek because it was actually adorable, but Kris thought Baekhyun would probably attempt to chew his finger off if he so much attempted to touch his face. “–but the next time I see him, I’m gonna fuck everything and make sure he eats his own words.”

Kris spun around and ran a hand through his hair in frustration when Baekhyun sped off without allowing him to slot another word in, the engine of his California T roaring down the relatively empty street. Luhan was smiling when their eyes met.

“You have some really interesting friends,” he quipped, and Kris paled.

“He’s just an acquaintance–”

It was evident that Luhan didn’t quite believe in him, because he waved Kris off. “What does it matter?” Luhan asked, his smile only growing wider and more disconcerting. “They’re still interesting… _Different_. When are you going to introduce me to the rest?”

Luhan _knew_ his question would touch a nerve in Kris, yet here he was, intentionally prying a little too deep for someone Kris barely even knew. The smile turned into a smirk when Kris rushed forward and grabbed Luhan by the collar of his shirt.

“ _Look_ ,” Kris hissed, already beyond the point of caring about the stares and whispers starting to pile up. “What I do with my life, and who I decide to associate with has nothing to do with you. So why don’t you back off already?”

The most infuriating thing was probably the way Luhan shrugged nonchalantly, as though he was above being threatened. In a bout of immense annoyance, Kris released his hold on Luhan and gave him a hard push, before stalking away in the direction of the library with the thoughts of the next race in his mind.

He really wanted to whoop the ass of the unnamed driver to vent his frustrations.

†

It felt good to be behind the wheel of his GranTurismo again. Now that they were finally able to sneak in a race with less than twelve hours’ notice, Kris felt as though he was finally at home. There weren't many cars around him, which was understandable. The usual line-up for these illegal races was made up of heirs of various companies, if not a CEO of one, and with the police actively on the prowl, the stakes were too high. Many didn't want to risk getting caught and shamed on the mass media for an hour's worth of cheap thrill.

But it didn't quite matter to Kris. He was confident that he would be slippery enough to wriggle out of a police chase if he had to. He wasn't one of the best racers EXO had for nothing. Besides, the itch to race was growing to an unbearable extent, and Kris had to do something about it before he lost his mind.

(The logical side of his mind told him he was too addicted to illegal street races for his own good, that he should pull out of it before he gets himself seriously injured – or worse, killed. The emotional side of him said to fuck it and just live in the moment for all its worth.)

With the crowd being much smaller than it usually was due to the brief notice, there wasn't much fanfare going on before the race – the way Kris preferred it. He was never much of a fan of inane screaming and persistent whistling, though he knew that part of the prize money waiting for them at the end of the line came from the betting pool the audience threw their money into. It was the sole reason why Kris had never found it as a cause for complain.

They were flagged off in record time, and Kris found himself grinning from ear to ear at the sound of his engine roaring. CNU seemed to have had his Cayenne fixed from the other time Kai had forced him to crash into a divider, and he was determined to have Kris return the favour. Too bad Kris's thirst to win was too strong today. He had been deprived of this for far too long, and the only thing on his mind was to get to the finishing line as fast as he could.

He didn't know why, but in the midst of his exhilaration at being able to race again, Kris had forgotten to be on high alert for the insane driver. Even if they might have congregated on an extremely short notice, he couldn't be sure if the unnamed driver was resourceful enough to find out about the race, even if the news wasn't widespread enough for the shadier side of Seoul to find out.

Cue him being shocked nearly out of his wits when the electric blue Sesto Elemento again appeared out of nowhere, this time matching Kris speed by speed. Kris kept throwing glances to his right, even though he knew that the other driver's window was heavily tinted, trying to make out his face while preventing himself from crashing into anything else in the process. By then, most of Kris's competition have been left far behind, and it was only Kris and the other man on the road.

As though sensing Kris's keen eyes on him, the driver of the Sesto Elemento stepped on the accelerator, speeding forward a little before suddenly slamming on his brakes and swerving sharply so that his car sat horizontally across the road, about two hundred metres ahead of Kris. It was a single-laned road, and Kris soon realised that he was going to slam right into the side of the Sesto Elemento if he didn't do anything about it.

His heart practically leapt into his throat as Kris floored his brakes. Unlike the other man, Kris was a poorer judge of distance (which was why he never liked Physics as a subject), and the only thing he could do was to pray hard and hope that he'll make it out of this ordeal alive.

Luhan's words from when they had first met rang in his ears at the most inopportune of moments – _don't get yourself killed even before you've managed to save your first life_ , he had said, and Kris laughed at the irony of life. Maybe he should have stopped before he had gotten much too addicted to these illegal races, but it was too late for him to regret now. At least, Kris thought wryly to himself, he would die doing something he loved.

Again the seconds felt like an eternity to him as his car got nearer to the Sesto Elemento, and Kris was thrown forward, the seatbelt cutting painfully into his flesh when his ABS worked just in the nick of time. His mind was still reeling from the event, unable to believe that he hadn't gotten himself involved in a catastrophic crash, that albeit bruised, he was still alive and breathing, when the other driver finally rolled down his windows to greet Kris.

Kris's mind went completely numb once again when he recognised the face peering back at him with a smirk. There wasn't even enough time for reality to sink in, however, when the blare of police sirens sliced through the night and had Kris whipping around in alarm. Their illegal race had evidently been discovered, which was probably why the other racers hadn't caught up to Kris yet – they must have already made a run for it to avoid being caught. It was only then that Kris took notice of the frantic shouts in his earphone from Junmyeon for him to get the fuck out of there.

The other driver evidently had the same thoughts, though he didn't seem as panicked as Kris was. The man merely raised an amused brow at Kris, before mouthing _see you around_ and driving away at once.

Kris wasted absolutely no time in slamming on his accelerator and getting the hell away from the scene before the police could even catch on, his mind still reeling from his meeting with the other driver.

It was difficult for him to wrap his mind around things, and to superimpose Luhan's face on the identity of the insane driver whom Kris has always been trying to discover. His intuition had always been right, after all.

†

The potent and deadly combination of anger, frustration, and inability to comprehend was what pushed Kris over the edge, two days after his discovery of Luhan being the mysterious driver everyone had been trying to uncover. The weekends served as an interlude, one which Kris had wished fervently would pass him by as soon as possible, and the moment their morning lecture ended on Monday, he immediately grabbed Luhan with him and pushed him into a secluded corner, slamming the smaller man against the wall.

He'd hoped that the pain would at least frighten Luhan a little, but Luhan merely grinned even wider, evidently amused by Kris's lack of control over his emotions.

" _You_!" He hissed in a low voice, hoping he wouldn't attract any form of attention towards them, because he had a score he desperately needed to settle, and secrets he had to uncover. "How long have you known that I was the driver of the GranTurismo?"

Luhan pretended to ponder over Kris's question for a moment, before shrugging carelessly. "I've always known from the start. Didn't you listen to my self-introduction on my first day here?"

 _If you're into racing, we can be very good friends_ , Luhan had said, and a shudder ran down Kris's spine when he remembered how Luhan had looked at him meaningfully from the lectern. Why did he never realise?

"Why?" Kris found himself asking, all other words lost in his puzzlement.

He couldn't understand why, but Kris found himself mesmerised by the way Luhan's eyes cut up to look at him, the smirk playing on his smooth-looking lips. "The Beijing illegal racing circuit has gotten so incredibly boring over the years," he drawled, his breath fanning across Kris's skin in warm waves. "You should know how it feels, to dominate race after race and still you're left unsatisfied because no one can ever come close to matching you, that winning becomes meaningless in the end."

Kris's nails dug into the flesh of his palm at the statement. It was almost as though Luhan could read his mind, or see the dying light of passion in his eyes, the way Kris was getting more disenchanted with each passing race. "What are you trying to get at, Luhan?" He asked instead, trying desperately to conceal the fact that Luhan's words were getting to him. He definitely didn't need Luhan's smugness right now, when both his lives were in danger of clashing, the ultimate link between them being Luhan's very existence.

"When I heard about how competitive the Seoul circuit was, I knew I had to come try it out." Luhan said, and there was a mysterious sparkle in his eyes as he continued to hold Kris's gaze down. "It wasn't until that first night I crashed into the circuit that I realised _you_ were going to be my classmate."

"If you knew–" Kris growled lowly, "–then why didn't you call me out on it from the very beginning? Why now, why after so many weeks?"

Again Luhan shrugged. "What fun would that be?" His voice was amused, probably knowing how agitated Kris was.

Kris was about to answer to that, when his ringtone suddenly blared in the cramped up space, making him jump. He had half the mind to leave it alone, but when he found Yixing's name splayed across the screen, Kris immediately picked up the call, but not before shooting a glare at Luhan, silently warning him to keep quiet. He had nearly forgotten about the study session he was supposed to have with Yixing in preparation for their end-of-semester examinations.

He should have known Luhan wasn't the sort who would docilely surrender to threats though, when he spoke up midway into Kris's conversation with Yixing, the scheming smirk playing on his lips. "So what do you say, Wu Yifan? Are you up for it tonight?"

 _Are you with Luhan at the moment?_ There was a moment of awkward silence before Yixing asked Kris this, the surprise barely concealed in his words. Kris didn't blame him, though. His relationship with Luhan, as the rest of the class saw them, was nothing above casual acquaintances and polite greetings. Of course Yixing would be taken aback by the mere thought that Kris was alone with Luhan at this very moment, when Kris had never mentioned about Luhan to Yixing during their conversations.

"I– It's complicated, Xing. I'll explain things later; I'm sorry," was all that Kris said to Yixing, before he hung up on his best friend. The anger again clawed its way to the surface when Kris saw the way Luhan was smiling smugly at him.

"It doesn't take much to get you flustered, it seems," Luhan commented casually, as though he was performing a social experimentation on Kris. It took all of Kris's might to not land a punch on Luhan's porcelain-like face. He liked to think he still had a certain level of self-restraint left in him.

" _What do you want?_ " He hissed again, enunciating each and every syllable carefully to ensure that Luhan was paying attention to him.

Mercifully, Luhan was no longer in the mood to toy around with him, and got straight to the point, pulling Kris forward by the collar of his shirt so that he was whispering directly into Kris's ear. "A race. Just you and I. Tonight, at the course leading up to Namsan Tower." And, almost as though he knew about Kris's pact with Junmyeon, of not using the GranTurismo unless it was for official races, Luhan threw in another proposition. "This time, we'll use the same car so that we'll have a level playing ground. The Koenigsegg Agera R."

Kris narrowed his eyes at the terms offered, though there wasn't an ounce of hesitation in him when he said, with the firmest resolution he could muster, "You're on."

†

_Don’t get yourself killed before you even manage to save your first life, Wu Yifan._

These very words of Luhan's kept playing in his mind as Kris tightened his grip on the steering wheel of the slate grey Koenigsegg Agera R he was driving, feeling the weight of unfamiliarity beneath his gloved hands. There was no greater irony than their current situation, when Kris thought about it, because they were engaged in the very activity that might as well end their lives before it truly even began, if any one of them should lose their concentration and subsequently, their control on their cars.

Kris knew what Luhan had in mind when he chose the most difficult course to pit himself against Kris – why bother racing at all, if an easier route was picked? The thrill of racing ultimately fell upon the race track and how challenging it was to the drivers. Dicing with Death was supposed to be a regular part of the game – something which, with the inclusion of heirs and top leaders of the business industry in South Korea in these races, seemed to have lost its novelty because no one wanted to play if the stakes were _this_ high. Everyone wanted a taste of the thrill, but no one dared gamble their lives for it.

No one but Kris, of course – and now, Luhan. One could say Kris and Luhan were already bored with their mundane lives, and they would not refute. It was probably true, and Kris wanted another way out of his goody-two-shoes persona.

Kris found himself grinning wildly as he slammed on the brakes and took a sharp turn around the bend, hearing the tyres screeching satisfactorily against asphalt. Beside him, Luhan pulled the exact same manoeuvre in his silver vehicle, trying to lose Kris in the process. Kris was having none of that, however, firing off his booster and quickly hitting the accelerator when they arrived at a straighter stretch of the road. He cursed colourfully when Luhan seemed to have read his actions, and managed to pull slightly ahead of him.

Instead of feeling frustrated, however, it only spurred the competitive side of Kris on. He wasn't about to let Luhan dominate his favourite course, but evidently Luhan knew that, too. Luhan was also bolder with his moves, now that there wasn't anyone else on the road to be a nuisance to him, and he practically glided on the road, going from left to right and left again to prevent Kris from overtaking him.

Both their minds were so focused on winning their private race, however, to the point of failing to notice that they were heading towards the narrowest stretch of road. Kris kept close tabs on Luhan's moves, trying to time each swing of his in the opposite direction so that he could catch an opening. When he had finally gotten the hang of things, Kris wasted not even a second in swerving sharply to Luhan's right when the other man drove to the left, flooring the accelerator to propel himself forward once the coast was clear for him to proceed.

It was at that particular moment that Luhan pulled his vehicle in the same direction, and even with the slightest bump, his car was sent veering out of control, much to Kris's horror. It was akin to a nightmare coming to life before his very own eyes, when he watched the way the other Koenigsegg spun around in circles, the speed at which it was cruising earlier much too fast for it to stop in time, the screeching of tyres against asphalt deafeningly loud in the silent night. He fervently hoped that Luhan had his foot firmly on the brakes, though his heart practically stopped beating when Luhan's car smashed into the divider.

There must be a miracle at work when the silver Koenigsegg finally came to a halt, the front portion of the vehicle hanging precariously over the edge. Although Kris was no God at physics, it didn't take much for him to know that even the slightest movement would send the car teetering off the cliff, plunging its driver within several hundred metres downwards to his ultimate death. Kris's brain only kicked into action when the initial shock had passed, and he immediately pulled to a stop by the side of the road, practically ripping the seatbelt off him and hopping out of his car, running frantically towards Luhan's stalled vehicle.

He found Luhan completely shell-shocked once he reached the car, his hands gripping the steering wheel tightly for dear life, face in the palest shade Kris has ever seen him in. The engine was still running, the heat roiling off the car in waves and making Kris sweat in his jacket, but Luhan remained completely still, hardly even blinking at all.

Knowing he had to do something, Kris opened the door to the car gently, careful not to make any sudden movements that would tilt the car over. Still, Luhan didn't stir from his trance-like state.

Chewing on his bottom lip, Kris slowly reached out for Luhan and held him by the shoulder. "Luhan," he called out softly, trying hard not to give Luhan unnecessary shock. "Luhan, listen to me. Don't make any sudden movements, alright?"

It was only then that Luhan turned around to look at Kris. Every trace of his usual confidence was gone, leaving behind someone who looked so vulnerable Kris nearly couldn't recognise him, if he hadn't been racing with Luhan. Kris felt relieved, though, that Luhan didn't appear to have received any form of external injury apart from a minor bruise on his forehead. "What am I supposed to do?"

"Do you trust me?" Kris licked his dry lips, knowing that he had to keep his courage up for the both of them.

Luhan cracked into a nervous smile. "Someone's got to start trusting you to save their lives somewhere along the way." He tried, though the light in his eyes was still frantic.

Kris flashed him an encouraging, lopsided grin. "Don't move, then. Let me get that pesky belt off you."

"I'm not going anywhere" was Luhan's quiet reply, breath warm but stuttered in Kris's ear as he leaned across Luhan to hit the eject button.

"Now on the count of three, I need you to kick as hard as you can to push yourself out." He told Luhan, arm sliding around his shoulder as an anchor.

Luhan merely looked up at him in pure horror. "What–"

"One–" Kris ignored his protest and started counting down. The faster they got Luhan out of the car, the sooner he could feel relieved. At the moment, the future seemed bleak even for Kris, when the car tilted just a little further forward when Luhan started to shift in his seat, his hands finally coming off the steering wheel to grab at Kris.

"Yifan–"

He winced when Luhan's nails dug into his arm. "Two–"

"I can't–"

"Three!" Kris yelled without a care, yanking Luhan out of the car as hard as he could. It was a good thing Luhan was almost featherweight, and that he remembered what Kris had told him earlier, leaving Kris to extricate him from the vehicle without any complications. They both lay sprawled on the asphalt from the force, eyes wide as they watched the silver Koenigsegg plunge to its demise.

A long moment of silence – punctuated only by their ragged breaths which turned into mist in the cold air – enveloped them, and it wasn't until his heart rate had returned to normal that Kris finally snapped back to reality. Luhan was still lying on top of him, completely dazed from the turn of events that evening. He only stirred when Kris shook him gently, his eyes glazed over as he stared back at Kris.

Kris gingerly propped himself up on an elbow, frowning a little when the jagged edges of the tar pressed into his flesh, discomfort mixed with pain. He really wanted to get his ass off the road, but the weight on top of him was making things difficult. Luhan looked so completely out of it, though, and Kris didn't really want to get him more shaken than he already was. Quietly, he asked, "Luhan, you okay?"

Luhan's throat worked at the question, as though trying to find the right words to say, but in the end, he merely stayed silent and continued staring blankly at Kris.

"Luhan–" Kris tried again, hoping Luhan hadn't gotten himself a concussion when he hit his head against the steering wheel earlier, but before he could even finish his question, his eyes went wide when Luhan threw his arms around his neck and pressed his lips against Kris's.

Well, that wasn't the reply he had been expecting.

Luhan's lips were surprisingly soft, for how chapped it looked up close, and the nature of the kiss itself was hesitant, almost as though he was expecting Kris to push him away. Kris did consider that for a very long moment, but when Luhan finally pulled away, he found himself craving for more, and pulled Luhan back to continue where they had left off.

Things got heated soon enough, with Kris relishing the taste of Luhan's tongue in his mouth, and Luhan grinding insistently against his crotch to gain more friction. The still-conscious part of Kris's mind kicked into action just then, and he pulled the both of them up, stumbling towards Kris's car while still exchanging messy, heated kisses. Luhan was an impatient person, Kris could tell, when his fingers trailed down Kris's sides before settling on the button of his jeans, trying to pry them open.

No words were exchanged as Luhan pushed Kris against the hood of the slate grey Koenigsegg. He bit on Kris's lower lip for one last time, his eyes lustful as he looked at Kris, before kneeling on the ground and pulling Kris's jeans down in one swift motion. Kris found himself throwing his head backwards when Luhan pulled his half-hard cock out of his boxers and sealed his sinful, swollen lips around it, sucking hard on the head before taking Kris's entire length into his mouth.

Kris has received plenty of blow jobs before in his life, but this was the very first time he felt as though he was about to lose his mind from the first minute itself. He fisted Luhan's hair in pleasure, rutting into Luhan's hot, hot mouth in an increasingly erratic rhythm when he could feel his orgasm rushing up to pull him under. Luhan evidently knew he was close, pulling away to lick at Kris's balls before going back to sucking on his cock. It didn't take long for Kris to come with a strangled moan, and Luhan lapped up every last drop of his cum.

Luhan's mouth was back on Kris's lips before he even managed to recover from his orgasm high, and in his daze, Kris managed to free Luhan from his pants, fisting both their cocks together with his large hand and hearing Luhan hum in delight against his mouth. Luhan arched into him when Kris thumbed his slit, spreading precum along his length and slicking it up. The way Luhan bared his neck in pleasure had Kris shifting his attention towards mouthing at his skin, biting on it to leave his mark there, which in turn had Luhan moaning in a louder voice.

It was a good thing it was already extremely late into the night, where it was less likely for someone else to stumble upon their sinful deeds committed out of a strong desire to seek comfort. Kris was usually a private person, but at this point of time, he really could care less as he turned Luhan around and pressed him down against the hood of the car, pressing his precum-slicked fingers against Luhan's puckered hole.

" _Please_ –" Luhan breathed, a violent shudder wracking through his body when Kris slid a finger right in. Luhan stayed still for a while, trying to get used to the intrusion, and within seconds he was moving backwards on his own accord, trying to take more of Kris's finger into him. Soon, one finger became three, and Luhan was turned into a whimpering mess with every strike of Kris's fingers against his prostate. It was with another strangled _please_ that Kris substituted his fingers with his cock, grunting in unison with Luhan when he pushed into him. He nibbled at Luhan's earlobe while his free hand fisted Luhan's cock, working up a steady pace.

There was a sense of satisfaction at the mess he's made of Luhan, who was trying frantically to fuck himself on Kris's cock and into his palm at the same time. Moments later, Luhan was sent teetering off the edge of his sanity, ribbons of white spilling on the asphalt as his orgasm claimed him. With several more thrusts, Kris filled Luhan up with his cum, and he collapsed on top of Luhan, both of them panting from exhaustion.

Kris had no idea what had spurred him on to fucking Luhan like this, but he sure as hell wasn't going to trade this memory for anything else.

 

†

 

After getting themselves cleaned, Kris drove them to the foot of the Namsan Tower where they remained seated in the car, which was warmer and more calming than the darkness outside. He thought Luhan still appeared slightly shaken from his near-death incident, and wasn't in the best of conditions to be walking about, especially not after the way Kris had pounded into him earlier. He wasn't even able to stand decently without assistance. Luhan had stayed surprisingly quiet and withdrawn since then, though – characteristics which Kris usually wouldn't attribute to him, for how bold Luhan had been in approaching and pursuing him, but apparently there was a first for everything.

Looking at Luhan like this, though – with his legs tucked under his chin and all curled up to make himself even smaller than he already was – Kris couldn't stop himself from feeling worried. It just wasn't _Luhan_. "Are you fine?"

It took Luhan a while before he realised that the question was aimed at him, and he slowly turned to look at Kris. There was something about his expressions which told Kris he was trying for nonchalance, but Luhan appeared so worn out that he was failing miserably in his attempt. Kris wondered if his frown was obvious, because the look didn't stay long on Luhan's face, and he exhaled before burying his face between his knees again. "Depends on your definition of fine." He muttered, then: "Why do you care, anyway?"

Kris froze at the question. Yes, why _did_ he care? It wasn't as though Luhan was someone important in his life, but then Kris thought about the moments they'd spent trying to cling on to their dear lives earlier, and realised that Luhan meant more to him than he was willing to admit. "Just worried. I'm not inhuman to the point of leaving you alone after what had happened."

"Which incident are you talking about?" Luhan shot back, and Kris could feel himself flushing. He wasn't one for casual relationships, and he definitely wasn't going to start with Luhan. But he wasn't going to admit that to Luhan, either.

"If that's how you want it to be, then I'll leave." Kris rolled his eyes at Luhan instead, unlocking the door and preparing to get off the car. There wasn't much of a point in sticking around, when it was clear Luhan didn't quite trust in him _enough_ to talk about what's troubling him. The sex was only a platform for Luhan to push his near-death to the back of his mind; Kris understood that much. He wasn't stupid.

It didn't mean he wasn't the least bit disappointed, though.

"I've always thought that I wouldn't be afraid of dying."

A weight suddenly pressed down on his lap, and Kris looked down in surprise, bewildered when he realised Luhan had moved to lie on his lap. He hadn't expected Luhan to pull such a stunt, for how prideful he was as a person. Then he noticed how the fight had completely left Luhan, leaving behind a person so vulnerable he couldn't bear to leave.

"But?" Kris prompted when he'd gotten over the initial astonishment, hesitating a little before his fingers started threading through Luhan's fiery red hair. Luhan closed his eyes at Kris's gentle ministrations, his face the picture of an angel seemingly at perfect peace, but Kris knew better. Luhan was good at hiding his true feelings, it seemed, and Kris wanted to be the one to remove his cleverly constructed mask.

"It shouldn't matter, when you're someone without any friends or family to care." His Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed, and Kris's eyes followed every single movement. Luhan was mesmerising; he knew that from the very moment he'd seen Luhan walking into the lecture hall, but his perspectives seemed to have changed after discovering that Luhan was the nameless driver he'd been searching for. "But when I was in the car earlier, I could only think about one thing – _I don't want to die_ , not in such a manner."

Kris bit his lip at the confession. Perhaps they were more alike than he had initially thought. Looking at Luhan was like looking at himself through a mirror in many ways; that much was clear to Kris now. "There's nothing to be ashamed of, Luhan. Deep down, we're all afraid of Death, no matter how much we proclaim otherwise."

The corner of Luhan's mouth quirked up into a wry smile. "I'm scared shitless by heights. It would probably have been fine if I died in a crash through another different mechanism. But I _knew_ I didn't want to die in fear by plunging into a ravine, where probably no one would ever be able to find me."

Kris's heart wrenched at how morbid Luhan's thoughts seemed to be, but then he looked at himself and realised he was no better. "I've been telling myself that I wouldn't care if I died while racing, too."

Luhan stilled on Kris's lap. "Why?" He asked quietly, his voice catching a little in his throat as he continued with his question, "It doesn't make sense, when you're studying to be a doctor. Yixing's told me about your ambitions."

Kris knew he would bring up the subject, and had half the mind to divert their conversation topic back to Luhan's life. It was then that Kris thought about how Luhan was being nothing but honest to him in the confines of this car, when he didn't have the obligation to do so, and gave in with a sigh. It was only fair that he offered the information Luhan sought, in exchange for the knowledge he's gained about Luhan. "The main reason why I studied Medicine was for my ailing father, because I wanted to find a cure for his illness. He's gone now, and I no longer have an aim to finish my studies."

"That's– I'm sorry to hear that."

"It's fine, Luhan." Kris shook his head, a smile finding its place on his lips as he leaned against the headrest and closed his eyes. There wasn't anything else he wanted, save for the tranquility he was currently savouring. "I was thinking about quitting racing for good. Maybe I should find a new aim in life."

"What are you going to do, then?" Luhan questioned as he leaned into Kris's touch. He was so incredibly warm, an existence which grounded Kris to reality.

"You made me realise that I truly want to save lives." Kris admitted, a little embarrassed by his confession, but it came from the bottom of his heart. He didn't think he could bear letting someone else die in front of him, if he could do something about it. "I want to give this career another shot, with more sincerity."

He could feel Luhan smiling against his palm when Luhan took his hand and pressed a kiss against it. "Then maybe I should start getting serious with you too, huh?"

Kris's smile grew a little wider at Luhan's words. "I'd love for that to happen."


End file.
